Make Your Kid’s Room Cuter

Three kid’s room ideas to amp up fun for the under-12 set.

Special challenges are involved in creating a kid’s room. I expect that’s why we see plaintive calls for help on decorating message boards – to paraphrase – “my 10-year old son wants a camouflage theme with black walls, but I don’t, what do I do?” In a way, every child requires a custom decorating job — first there’s age, then there’s taste but the biggest issue can be what’s appropriate when the lifespan of the décor is so limited, especially during the first 12 years. In a way, it’s like buying them clothes.

Recently, I spotted three features that can give a child’s room special character, transforming it with relative ease: the ceiling, the main light fixture and a chunky ladder. Those elements were suggested by these two children’s especially charming rooms by Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz.

A special pattern or color on the ceiling is relatively easy to create or update. That can range from wallpaper to paint or even a collage or mural for ambitious parents and aspiring Michaelangelos.

Once the look of the ceiling is established, adding a fanciful light fixture that’s age and theme appropriate jumpstarts the décor. I adore these whimsical fixtures. Firefly Kids Lighting has several styles, as does The Land of Nod.

Then there’s the ladder. The cozy (and rather fancy) bunk bed nook in these rooms can be built by an enterprising DIYer. For safety reasons, a ladder should be fixed – no chance that will fall over – but even if a ladder is used against a wall to display or store small items, it’s a great feature. Parents with more artistic skills might even decide to paint a faux-ladder on a wall. Call it a fantasy stairway to the stars.

Comments

Love these! The light fixtures are so whimsical, and I can imagine how staring up at those fanciful ceilings would be a great way to start a kid’s morning. Love that bunk nook, too. Thanks for sharing.

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